Dr. Rob Atwill of the University of California-Davis was a fantastic guest speaker during BCHA’s recent National Board Meeting held in Sacramento. He summarized the latest science that demonstrates native mammals, including squirrels and marmot, are far more likely to be the source of water-borne pathogens than either livestock or pack stock. In one study at Yosemite National Park, a population of Belding’s ground squirrel was documented to have shed Cryptosporidium oocysts at a rate that might be matched by no less than 3,000 horses.
Edward R. Atwill, D.V.M., M.P.V.M., Ph.D.
Director, Veterinary Medicine Extension
Director, Western Institute for Food Safety and Security
Professor, Department of Population Health and Reproduction
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of California-Davis
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